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Elders Give Blessings to Native American Collection

“We pay respect to our elders who came before us. Moments in their lives, our history, have been preserved by Dorothy Hill. Let us work together to assure that the Dorothy Morehead Hill Collection is treated with the sensitivity, respect, and honor that it deserves.”

—The honorable Steve Santos, tribal chairman, Mechoopda Indian Tribe of the Chico Rancheri

Today is a celebration …
of the passing of knowledge and tradition from one generation to another,

of every time my mother pointed out where my great-grandfather first lived when he came to the Chico area,

of her showing me where Frank Joseph lived in Genesee Valley when we were on our way fishing,

of the time I found a mountain lion skeleton while fishing and when I didn’t return with it, of being reminded that the university or her Native American friends would have liked the bones

of my return the following week to retrieve all of the bones!

my mother’s collection that now has its own life and of the new bonds that will be formed for it and the new friendships it has created.

My sisters and I give you back this borrowed gift—my mother’s ethnographic collection, her knowledge, her education. This gift is not only for you, but for many generations that will follow us.

—Excerpts from remarks by Margaret “Maggie” Hill, Sept. 22, 2001

Three decades of work by anthropologist Dorothy Morehead Hill and the collection that came from it was celebrated at a gathering on Sept. 22, at the Albert E. Warrens Reception Center. The generosity of Hill’s family and the Native Americans who contributed to the collection were also honored. Elders from the Mechoopda Indian Tribe, the Maidu Tribe, and the California Indian Basket Weavers Association joined Dorothy’s daughter, President Manuel A. Esteban, Provost Scott McNall, other representatives and friends of the university, and teachers from Four Winds of Indian Education to collectively celebrate the collection and to commit to its preservation, protection, and use by Native Americans and educators. Steve Santos, Library Systems and tribal chairman of the Mechoopda Indian Tribe, acted as master of ceremonies.

A committee of consultants from diverse tribal communities is being assembled to work with scholars and to review the materials and identify items that require limited access. If you are interested in learning more about the committe contactAndrea Lerner at x4767 or Steve Santos at x6268.